puppy mills

Hello and Happy Holidays!

As the holiday season is upon us, you can be sure that puppy mills/mass
breeding facilities have been grinding out thousands of puppies to meet the
seasonal demand. The dog industry reports that 50-60% of pet store puppy
sales occur during the holiday season.

Our largest chain, The Family Puppy/Family of Pets, sold approximately 432
puppies last year at this time. You can see the store stocked up in
November, December and replenished in January.

http://www.meetup.com/puppymillawareness/photos/1174404/#20274154

Many of the store's pups are shipped in from Indiana Amish breeders. You
know one? I know they have a book listing "some" of the breeders in the
store. Look them up on this chart of Indiana breeders and you will see these
are not small operations.
http://www.petshoppuppies.org/IndianaInventory2FY2007.pdf

Many have been sited for non-compliances to the Animal Welfare Act.
http://www.meetup.com/puppymillawareness/photos/1174404/#20274315

Nationally, many organizations, groups, and individuals are organizing
peaceful
rallies outside pet stores that sell puppies to warn the public. This year
Puppy Mill Awareness is focusing our efforts at the malls: Twelve Oaks
(Petland Novi) and the Genesee Valley (The Family Puppy Flint). See our
packed schedule at the end of this letter and RSVP for one or more.
http://www.meetup.com/puppymillawareness/calendar/

If the dogs are housed in the cold,.....!

This is the most important time of the year to make a difference.

Most of my emails are about our campaign activities. I thought you should be
armed with more facts and figures. Luckily Pet Shop Puppies.org has a
warehouse of data and educational materials we all should be aware of and I
would like to share them with you now.

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USDA Regulated Breeders--What does it really mean?

When a pet store says their puppies come from USDA regulated breeders, what
does that really mean? Let's forgo the semantics. Whether you call them a
puppy mill, USDA regulated and inspected breeder, professional breeder,
puppy farm, commercial kennel, local breeder, private breeder, etc., these
are simply labels used to divert attention from the fact that pet stores
obtain their puppies from breeders who mass produce puppies. Truly reputable
breeders do not mass produce puppies. They are not licensed by the USDA to
wholesale their puppies, you will never find their puppies for sale in a pet
store, their location is not a secret, they do not meet you in a parking lot
to sell you the puppy, they invite you into their home so they can meet you
and you can meet the puppy and its parents and see the conditions in which
they live. The prospective buyer should also be aware that many mass
breeders also pose as small family breeders on the Internet and in newspaper
ads. Please never buy a puppy without first screening a breeder's facility
in person. If a family member or friend insists on going to a breeder, arm
them with this information.
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/puppy_mills/tips/finding_good_dog_breeder.html

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The Definition of a Puppy Mill

The meaning of the term "puppy mill" is always in debate. Many mass breeders
and pet stores say it has no "legal" definition. Actually, it does. The
following is the "legal" definition of a puppy mill, established in a court
of law in the case of Avenson v. Zegart, 577 F. Supp. 958, 960 (D.
Minn.1984). "A "puppy mill" is a
dog breeding operation in which the health of the dogs is disregarded in
order to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits." Additionally, in
April 2008, the USDA recognized "puppy mills" as "facilities that breed
large numbers of dogs for sale". The label is insignificant. Call them what
you wish. What matters are their breeding practices and the conditions under
which their breeding dogs are kept. Regardless of their claims, the bottom
line is that they are mass breeding facilities. The dogs are a cash crop,
hence the regulation of domestic animals by the United States

Department of Agriculture.
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Minimum Standards of Care

Until any improvements from Proposition B - in Missouri are actually
implemented, let's recall the current standards of care for dogs in
commercial/mass breeding facilities. Here are the basics. If a breeder has
more than three unaltered females and sells their puppies "wholesale",
meaning to someone other than the final owner, they must be licensed by the
USDA and are subject to the regulations set forth by The Animal Welfare Act.

Note, many of our Michigan pet stores work with unlicensed breeders. We only
have seven total USDA licensed dog breeders and many are breeding for
research.

The Animal Welfare Act is the federal law that regulates the dog breeding
industry. The USDA is responsible for setting the "minimum standards of
care" by which commercial/mass dog breeders must operate, as well as
enforcing the Animal Welfare Act. The commercial/mass dog breeding industry
itself had a significant role in determining the "minimum standards of
care".

Commercial/mass dog breeding facilities that are in full compliance of the
Animal Welfare Act usually fall far short of what most of us would consider
even remotely humane.

USDA size requirements for dog cages:

*Wire flooring must be at least 8 gauge wire or coated with vinyl.

*Minimum cage floor space equals (length of dog + 6 inches) x (length of dog
+ 6
inches). *The top of the cage must be at least 6 inches above the dog's
head.
An example using USDA space requirements in determining cage size:
Minimum cage height is equal to Oliver's height plus 6 inches. Minimum floor
space is equal to Oliver's length plus 6 inches, squared. This is the
"primary enclosure", the cage in which the dog will live its entire life.

USDA exercise requirements for dogs in commercial breeding facilities:

*Dogs housed in cages with only the 6 inches of space, as described above,
must have an exercise plan in writing. However, regulations fall short of
actually requiring the breeder to implement the exercise plan. There is no
way for the USDA to know if the exercise plan is being followed.

*If a breeder doubles the minimum cage size (12 inches instead of 6 inches
of space), the opportunity for exercise is not required.

*If 2 or more dogs are housed together, the opportunity for exercise is not
required.

*Up to 12 dogs can be housed in the same cage.

Self-feeders and waterers as well as wire bottom cages which allow the
passage of urine and feces, virtually eliminate the need for a breeder to
ever touch their
dogs. Dogs living in USDA sanctioned cages will seldom, if ever, leave them.
They will live, sleep, eat, drink, urinate, defecate, mate and give birth in
these cages. This existence will continue until they die or are sold, likely
to another breeder. This treatment is legal according to USDA guidelines.

The Bottom Line

Call these facilities what you like. The living conditions of the dogs
confined in them are what matters. The "minimum standards of care" have been
mandated by the USDA and are undebatable. When a pet store says their
puppies don't come from puppy mills but instead come from USDA regulated
breeders, realize that the distinction here is irrelevant. Either way, the
dogs live lives of constant confinement, deprivation and exploitation.

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Pet Stores

We hope those of you in Southeast and Mid Michigan will join us in speaking
out on behalf of the breeding parents trapped in these factories. We believe
that education is the key to stopping puppy mills. Please help us spread the
word at our holiday rallies by joining us for a peaceful protest during this
holiday season and encourage anyone you know who might be considering a new
pet to consider adopting from a shelter/rescue organization.
http://www.meetup.com/puppymillawareness/messages/boards/thread/10079661/0#38696676

Puppy Mill Awareness has led a two year campaign against various Michigan
pet stores and we have closed five! We hope the rest choose to switch to
adoption.

Were you wondering about your local store? Were you wondering about your
local store? Here is our puppy selling stores Hall of Shame.
http://www.meetup.com/puppymillawareness/messages/boards/thread/10031605

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The Family Puppy
Genesee Valley Center
3341 S Linden Rd
Flint, MI 48507
Saturday, Dec 18th, 11- 3 p.m.
Sunday, 19th, 11- 3 p.m.
Monday, Dec 20th, 11- 3 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec 21st, 11- 3 p.m.
Wednesday Dec 22, 11- 3 p.m.
Thursday, Dec 23rd, 11- 3 p.m.
Parking: David's Bridal
Contact: Julieann Lotridge

Petland
27750 Novi Rd
Novi, MI 48377
Saturday, Dec 18th 12- 4 p.m.
Saturday, Dec 18th 4- 7 p.m.
Sunday, Dec 19th, 11-4 p.m.
Sunday, Dec 19th, 4 - 7 p.m.
Monday, Dec 20th 3-7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec 21st 3-7 p.m
Wednesday, Dec 22nd 3-7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec 23rd 3-7 p.m.
Friday, Dec 24th 3-7 p.m.
Parking: Denny's
Contact: Mindy Richards

Paws-n-Claws Pet Supplies
19100 E. 10 Mile
Eastpointe, Mi
Wednesday, Dec 22nd, 5 - 7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec 23rd, 5-7 p.m.
Friday, Dec 24th 12-3 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec 28th 5-7 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec 29th, 5-7 p.m.
Thursday, Dec 30th, 5-7 p.m.
Park: Duplins Pub (in front)
Contact: Pam Sordyl & Cathy Tingley

Greenwood Pets & Plants
13983 E 9 Mile Rd,
Warren, Mi
Friday, Dec 17th, 5-7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec 18th 12 - 3 p.m.
Park: Deaf Center next door
Contact: Pam Sordyl & Cathy Tingley